'I'm broken up and I can't sleep'

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NEAR FALL CITY, Wash. -- David Longdon was injured doing what he loves - biking - when a minivan forced him off of Highway 202 and into a ditch.

"I'm broken up and I can't sleep. And the pain is pretty severe right now," he said.

Longdon was riding with the Starbucks Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Racing Team when he and others saw a red minivan speeding and driving erratically. The van crossed the median to pass several cars, forcing oncoming Longdon into a ditch, witnesses told state troopers.

The cyclist slammed into a concrete culvert, cracked his helmet, and broke his arm, ribs, and collar bone. The mini van kept on going.

Longdon isn't sure whether the van's driver knew he forced him off the road.

"Honestly, I don't know. My suspicion is that the person pulled out into traffic and didn't have a clue about the chaos that came after him," he said.

But he can't understand why the driver didn't see him or his 10 teammates.

Longdon is an experienced cyclist who has been pedaling for 30 years. He even writes a bicycle blog for seattlepi.com. Support from the cycling community has helped him cope with the pain as he prepares for months of therapy ahead.

"I am getting e-mails from people that I don't know," he said. "So I am real thankful for the emotional support I am getting from everybody."

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Washington State Patrol immediately.

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